Bathtub protective covering



Nov. 13, 1951 w. H. sLAwsoN BATHTUB PROTECTIVE COVERING 2 SHEETS-SHEET l Filed July 8, 1949 ATTORNEYS.

Patented Nov. 13, V'1951 BATHTUB PROTECTIVE VCO'VERING William HL Slawson, Buffalo,- N. Y., assignor to Frank M. Wilson, Buffalo, N. Y., and Paul H.l Thomas, Hamburg, N. Y.

Application July 8,' 1949, SerialNo. 103,663

My invention relates in generalto coverings for bathtubs and the like, to protect theV tub while Workmen are finishing the.' wallsV adjacent the tub.v

Thev principal object ofmy invention is to prou vide a one-piece cover which` isv prefabricated and which is unfolded and formed at the place of use.

Another object is to provide a cover which need not be fitted" tov the tub, but' which' is so proportioned that it can be set intothe tub" without conforming to thesurf aces thereof A further object is to provide a cover of substantially rectangular box shape having av sub stantially Hat bottom whichwill besupported at spaced intervals along its4 lower longitudinal edges upon the bottom of the tub andv which is provided with substantially` fiat horizontal cover portions which extend over` the top-of the tub` and across the curved ends'thereof A further objectr is tovprovide a coverL which is temporarily secured in place to ther tub byk means of adhesive tape'along; its back; side, and bottom edgesonly.

Moreover, my cover is designed: toh'ave the tape which secure it to the tub` extended tothe edges-` of the tub and will thereby be disposed over those portions where' thewa-ll tile meets the tub', thereby completely covering all surfacesy of' the tu-b which are likely to become scratched,Y

marred', or spotted'with paint.

Moreover, my cover is constructed ci" corrugated' fibre board,r whereby the impactv ofVl any tools falling into the tub during construction,

will be absorbed-- and prevented from marring they surfaceiof the' tub.

The above objects and advantages have been accomplished bythe' device shown'- in the accompanying drawings of which:

Fig; 1- is anisometricallvi'ewof 'my coverl in po'- sition;

Fig. 2 isd an; enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on line II-II of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary transverse sectional View taken on line III- III lof Fig. l

. Fig.;` 4 isanY enlarged fragmentary. transverse sectionalview taken. on. liney IV-IV of: Fig. l; and,

Fig. 5 is a top planview of the pieceof material from whichmy cover. formedg.

My, cover which is box-shape in form when ready for use is made fromy a single-sheetof suitable. material whichV scored and zcutalong; lines indicated in the.. draw-ingsfandfoldect so to.

haveisubstantially'atportions .asihereinafterfdc;-k

dat bottom I0 which is preferably narrower' than the width of the tub bottom and shorter thanv its length, so as to compensate for the taper of` the side walls off' the: tub and the rounded and" sloping end surfaces joining the side walls with the tub bottom and which permits the lower'longitudinal edges ofthe cover to rest upon and be: supported at spaced points or by the substantially straight portionsv of the tub bottom'. above indicated, the bottom ofthe'cover is alsol made shorterV than the length ofthe tub bottom4 so that itv will terminate short of the upwardlyv curvedends thereofV and b'e supported bythe tub bottom at spaced'points thereon. So as' tov protect theupwardly curved and inclined poretions at the ends' of the tub; I provide a hori"7 zontal cover portion bounded' by score marksV I4 which separate them from the end walls I2" to which they are joined. I`n forming the entf walls I2, the cover material' is scored" along broken lines |`3 located at each end of the bot"-` tom IOL These end walls are bent upwardlywhen the cover is ready for use, the portions being bent backwardly to lie on top of the tub. Ob` viously, the end walls are of such width asft'o bring the horizontal cover portions'Y I I on `a line s'cribed. The@ cover; comprisesiza substantially-` with the'topof'the tub.

The bottom I0 is'bound'ed on each of its'two longitudinal sideswith' score marks I5 which permit the formation of a flat; rear side' wallV IB and a dat front side wall 2IJ'whe'r'1'fol`ded upwardly at substantially right anglesV to the bottom; A- rear wall ap 22 is'foldably attached to the rear! edgeof each of the end Walls I2A and is extended outwardly across the adjacent end' edge of the side Wall I 6.' Av scoreV mark 2| is provided be tween each of these adjacent' integral portions and is preferably in line with the score marksL I5 betweenv the bottom and the side wall IS'. The side wall I6 is separated from each rear wall iiapV 22 by means of a slit 23 which extends from the outer edge of thematerial up to thepoint ofVI junction ofthe score marks I5 and 2|. Whent the end Walls are foldedupwardly along the scoreI mark I3,` the rear wall flaps 22y are rst folded inwardly along'thescore marks 2| so as' to" lie adjacent the side wall IB when foldedV in box-like' form.

In order to extend: thefcover'over anden top of the back ledgev dfofthetube 25', a back ledge flange 26 is` provided along the back edge of' the`r materiali and adjacent'` the side wallv I6. AV score mark 3Ui isf' made between these two portions ofi.' the cover; in suchl position that! when the dange- 2li` is f'ol'dedl downwardly'along the scorelmark, ity

willliefiupon and bezsupporterr by thebaclr ledge 24 of the tub. In like manner, each of the horlzontal cover portions is provided along its rear edge with a rear ledge auxiliary flange 3| formed by a continuation of the score mark 2i. Each of these portions, as shown in Fig. 5, is adjacent each of the rear wall flaps 22, and each of them is severed therefrom along the contiguous` edge by means of a slit 32. As shown in Fig. 1, when the cover is folded and in position of use, the auxiliary flanges 3| are folded downwardly where they will register with the back ledge flange 26, and together with this iiange be secured to the back ledge 24 of the tub by means of a piece of adhesive tape 33, in a manner to be hereinafter described. The score marks |3 bounding the ends of the bottom are continued across the ends of the front side wall 20, whereby end wall flaps 34 are provided. Each of these flaps is severed from the adjacent material at its two opposite sides by means of slits 35 and 3B. The slits 35 preferably register with the score mark |5, and the slits 35 register with a score mark 40 located between the front side wall 20 and the front ledge flange 4|, which latter portion registers with and rests upon the front ledge 42 of the tub when the cover is in position (see Fig. 3). The front ledge flange is of such length as to be substantially coextensive with the combined length of the bottom and cover portions when folded, the end portions of this ledge flange when in use lying adiacent and in substantially the same plane as the cover portions. A front apron 43 is provided for covering the front wall 44 of the tub, and this apron is foldably attached to the front ledge flange 4|, a score mark 44 being provided therebetween to permit this portion of the cover to be folded downwardly and at substantially right angles to the flange 4|. The length of the apron 43 and the flange 4| and the combined length of the front side wall 20 and the two horizontal cover portions when erected is substantially the same as the length of the tub, whereby all exposed surfaces of the tub will be covered. The score marks i3 are preferably extended through the end portions of the flange 4| and the apron 43 to facilitate folding of the piece of material forming the cover to permit easy handling before it is erected and placed in position Within the tub.

As is customary, a protective cover is placed within a bathtub after the tub has been set in position and before the tile has been placed or the painting finished, to protect the surfaces of the tub against scratches, nicks, and paint spatters. When my cover is to be put into use, the parts are folded and erected in box-like form as described and as shown in Fig. l, where it will be seen that two of the vertical `ioints between the rear wall I6 and the end walls |2 are closed by means of the substantially right angle folds between the rear wall flaps 22 and the end walls along the score marks 2|. The other vertical joints between the front side wall and end walls are closed by the substantially right angle folds on score line I3 between the end wall flaps 34 and the front side wall 20, as shownin Fig. l. After being folded, and while being supported within the tub along the lower longitudinal edge portions formed by folding the side walls i and on the score marks I5, the cover will assume the position shown in Fig. 1, in which position, as hereinbefore described, the auxiliary ledge flanges 3| will register with the back ledge flange 26.` When in such position these flanges will rest of adhesive tape 33, preferably of the type which is self-adhesive and waterproof, is secured along the edges of these adjacent parts. The larger portion of the tape is fastened to the flange portions just mentioned, and a portion thereof extends beyond the edge of the flanges and is secured to the upper surface of the back ledge 24 of the tub. The extended portion of the tape will be positioned upon the surface above which the tile, when in place, will be disposed. Similarly, a strip of tape 45 is extended along the outer edges of the ends of the apron 43, the contiguous edges of the flange 4| and the edges of the registering horizontal cover portions The tape at these edges is also extended beyond the edges of the cover and is secured to the adjacent surfaces of the tube, whereby the entire surface thereof will be protected. In order to secure the apron in position, a strip of tape 4S is extended along the lower edge thereof and is secured to the upper surface of the oor 5|J.

In Figs. 2 and 4, I have shown the stud 5| and the lath 52 which holds the mortar 53 to which the tile blocks 54 are secured. It will be observed from Figs. 2 and 4, that the extended edges of the adhesive tape 33 and 45, which are secured to the tub are extended under the tile blocks 54.-

After the tile is in position, the tile setter makes a cut in the strip of tape along the face of the finished tile and close to the lower edge thereof,"- whereby the cover becomes detached from the tub and may thereafter be removed. Obviously, after the cover has been removed, the tile setter uses whatever cement is necessary to completethe installation along the severed edges of the.

tape under the tile.

In order that the workmen be warned of the unsupported portions of horizontal cover portion Il, the legend,` Do not step here is printed,

in a conspicuous manner, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and5. 'v From the foregoing it will-be obvious that mywcover, since it is not shaped to conform with the;

inner configuration of the tub in which it is to be used, can be prefabricated by any fibre box4 manufacturer, folded and shipped to the place, of use, ready to be opened and erected in the. position in box-like form for use within the tub,

as shown in Fig. 1. Furthermore, since the flat 'bottom and wall portions are supported only at spaced positions, they bridge the outwardly curved and inclined surfaces of the tub so that when contacted by any impactive force, such as a falling tool, much of the force Will be absorbed by the resiliency of the cover material, thus addingv when used, comprising a fiat bottom extending over a portion of the bottom of the bathtub in non-conforming relation thereto and supported thereby only at several points of contact, a flat end wall rising from each end of said bottom at substantially right angles thereto and each spaced from one of the curved and sloping end walls of the bathtub, a flat horizontal cover porupon thel back ledge 24 of the tub, and a strip 75 tion extending outwardly from the upper edge of each end wall toward and supported only by said end wall and the upper rim of the tub, a flat front wall and a, at rear wall rising from the longitudinal edges of said flat bottom in spaced non-conforming relation to the interior surface of the bathtub, a fiat front ledge extending horizontally from the upper edge of said front wall, and a fiat rear ledge extending horizontally from the upper edge of said rear wall, said front and rear ledges being supported only by said front and rear walls and the front and rear ledges of the tub.

2. A protective cover for bathtubs made from a single piece of iiat stil material for folding in box-like form on predetermined scored lines when used, comprising a flat bottom extending over a portion of the bottom of the bathtub in non-conforming relation thereto and supported thereby only at several points of contact, a flat end Wall rising from each end of said bottom at substantially right angles thereto and each spaced from one of the curved and sloping end Walls of the bathtub, a flat horizontal cover portion extending outwardly from the upper edge of each end wall toward and supported only by said end wall and the upper rim of the tub, a fiat front Wall and a flat rear wall rising from the longitudinal edges of said flat bottom in spaced non-conforming relation to the interior surface of the tub, a front ledge flange substantially coextensive with the combined length of said horizontal cover portions and said bottom and lying in substantially the same plane as said cover portions when folded, and a rear ledge extending horizontally irom the upper edge of said rear Wall, said front and rear ledges being supported only by said front and rear walls and the front and rear ledges of the tub.

3. A protective cover for bathtubs made from a. single piece of flat stiff material for folding in box-like form on predetermined scored lines when used. comprising a iiat bottom extending over a portion of the bottom of the bathtub in nonconforming relation thereto and supported thereby only at several points of contact, a flat end Wall rising from each end of said bottom at substantially right angles thereto and each spaced from one of the curved and sloping end walls of the bathtub, a at horizontal cover portion extending outwardly from the upper edge of each end wall toward and supported only by said end wall and the upper rim of the tub, a flat front wall and a fiat rear wall rising from the longitudinal edges of said fiat bottom in spaced nonconforming relation to the interior surface of the tub, a front ledge ange substantially coextensive with the combined length of said horizontal cover portions and said bottom and lying in substantially the same piane as said cover portions when folded, a wall flap at each end of said front Wall separated on two opposite sides from said end walls and said front ledge flange' by slits formed in the material and each foldable adjacent one of the vertical edges of said front wall for disposition against said front wall, and a rear ledge extending horizontally from the upper edge of said rear wall, said front and rear ledges being supported only by said front and rear walls and the front and rear ledges of the tub.

4. A protective cover for bathtubs made from a single piece of at stiff material for folding in box-like form on predetermined scored lines when used, comprising a hat bottom extending over a portion of the bottom of the bathtub in non-conforming relation thereto and supported thereby only at several points of contact, a at end wall rising from each end of said bottom at substantially right angles thereto and each spaced from one of the curved and sloping end walls of the bathtub, a flat horizontal cover portion extending outwardly from the upper edge of each end wall toward and supported only by said end wall and the upper rim of the tub, a iiat front wall and a flat rear wall rising from the longitudinal edges of said flat bottom in spaced non-conforming relation to the interior surface of the tub, a front ledge flange substantially coextensive with the combined length of said horizontal cover portions and said bottom and lying in substantially the same plane as said cover portions when folded, a wall fiap at each end of said front wall separated on two opposite sides from said end walls and said front ledge flange by slits formed in the material and each foldable adjacent one of the vertical edges of said front wall for disposition against said front wall, a rear wall flap foldable along the rear edge of each end wall for disposition against said rear side wall, and a rear ledge extending horizontally from the upper edge of said rear wall, said front and rear ledges being supported only by said front and rear Walls and the front and rear ledges of the tub.

5. A protective cover for bathtubs made from a single piece of fiat stiff material for folding in box-like form on predetermined scored lines when used, comprising a flat bottom extending over a portion of the bottom of the bathtub in non-conforming relation thereto and supported thereby only at several points of contact, a flat end wall rising from each end of said bottom at substantially right angles thereto and each spaced from one of the curved and sloping end Walls of the bathtub, a fiat horizontal cover portion extending outwardly from the upper edge of each end Wall toward and supported only by said end wall and the upper rim of the tub, a flat front wall and a flat rear wall rising from the longitudinal edge of said flat bottom in spaced nonconforming relation to the interior surface of the bathtub, a front ledge flange substantially coextensive with the combined length of the horizontal cover portions and said bottom and lying in substantially the same plane as said cover portions when folded, a wall ap at each end of said front wall separated on two opposite sides from said end walls and said front ledge flange by slits formed in the material, and a hat horizontal rear ledge flange carried by and coextensive with the upper edge of said rear Wall, a rear wall flap foldably carried by the rear edge of each of said end walls and separated from the rear Wall anad the rear ledge flange by a slit formed in the material, each of said cover portions being formed with an auxiliary flange portion for registration with said rear ledge ange when the parts are folded and in positions of use.

WILLIAM H. SLAWSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,571,335 Jarvis Feb. 2, 1926 1,681,294 Henry Aug. 2l, 1928 1,686,560 Howlett Oct. 9, 1928 

